Young Authors Challenge
2025 Barfoot & Thompson Young Authors Challenge Winners Revealed
2025 Theme: My Time Machine
Barfoot & Thompson has announced the winners of the 2025 Young Authors Challenge (YAC). This short story competition open to primary, intermediate, and secondary school students nationwide.
This year’s competition invited writers to create a piece for the theme, My Time Machine. Well over 1,000 entries were received - the highest number in YAC history - with students submitting imaginative and thoughtful stories inspired by the theme.
Winners by category:
Primary (up to 250 words)
Winner: Anthony Tong, Silverdale Primary
Story: Try to stop racism with my time machine
Intermediate (up to 500 words)
Winner: Libbie Brooke Menzies, Green Bay Intermediate
Story: The House of Time
Secondary (up to 750 words)
Winner: Chetana Surpaneni, Queen Margaret College (Wellington)
Story: The Nine Lives of Sable
Prizes
Each category winner receives a $500 cash prize and a $250 book voucher, with their schools receiving $1,000 cash and $1,000 worth of books.
Find the 2025 winners and read their short stories HERE!
"Barfoot & Thompson proudly supports the Young Authors Challenge because it inspires creativity and gives young writers a platform to share their stories. Encouraging the imagination and talent of future generations is part of our ongoing commitment to the community." -– Nick Simmers, Head of Sponsorship and Events, Barfoot & Thompson
Please send any questions or queries to youngauthorschallenge@
